A telephone communications environment, such as, for example, a network signalling environment or a customer premises equipment (CPE) environment, often interacts with signals in which origination information, for example, calling party identification in the form of automatic number identification (ANI), is signalled. For example, The Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania has a CallerID service wherein calling-number-identification is presented to a device at the called party's premises, letting the called party view the number before answering the call. A controversy has arisen in that allegations have been made that the CallerID service violates the privacy rights of callers and possibly endangers the lives of individuals who want to preserve their anonymity. For example, it has been stated by the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate that, "If you call an automobile dealership or insurance company [that has a device that records as well as displays callers' numbers] you have a friend for life."
As a result, there is a need for an automated telephone communications system which logically interfaces between a calling party and a called party in a telephone network which provides calling party identification and which provides a calling party identification blocking service. In such a telephone network which provides a calling party identification blocking service there is a need for an automated telephone communications system which automatically: (1) accepts a call from the calling party; (2) places a call to the called party; and (3) connects the called party with the calling party. Additionally, if the telephone network does not provide a calling party identification blocking service or if the called party does not subscribe to such a blocking service, there is a need for an automated telephone communications system which automatically: (1) accepts a call from the calling party; (2) obtains called party identification from the calling party; (3) places a call to the called party; and (4) connects the called party with the calling party.